Shelter.............

Body: 

Christine,
The section on "shelter" in your book really resonated with me. I have been pondering this issue in relation to how I have been feeling for some time. I live in AZ in the suburbs and since having my first child I have had feelings of isolation in relation to this living arrangement. I grew up in a small village in the UK and felt quite nurtured there. I want so much for my daughters to feel the same way as I did but don't think this is possible the way we are living now. In the UK there is a nationalised healthcare system so that everyone knows they will be cared for, this is not the case here and I think this adds to the feelings of isolation and anxiety. (I am not trying to say that the healthcare system in the UK is perfect, it is really not, and the governent are struggling to pay for it of course). The worries over healthcare and retirement only add to feelings of fear and inadequate "shelter" for us all. Don't get me wrong, I love the United States and I am so very grateful for all the opportunities this country had offered for me and my family but I miss that strong sense of community. Anyway, I know I can do things to change that, (like joining a forum such as this), and I do have some very special people in my life who add to that too. Anyway, just a few thoughts, I hope you don't mind me sharing these!
Thank you.
P.S I am just the next state over from you, perhaps I will get the visit your center later in the year??

I so agree with you. We've invested in a lot of property to be sheltered somewhat from the "sprawl" the U.S. is so good at creating, but there is absolutely no community here. It seems that if people have their big-screen TV, recliner, satellite dish, and guard dog chained up outside, life is good.

From my hilltop I look down on a beautiful little valley and you can still see the "swales" or gently curved ridges that caught the summer rains that fed the fields of pinto beans grown in this area. I can now only imagine the little houses, sounds and smells of real community that once flourished here. Those ridges run through many peoples property now - mostly mobile homes with the proverbial guard dog and Winnebago outside.